Star Trek: Expedition into Darkness
by Alice Conrad
Summary: Captain James T. Kirk is preparing for an expedition to the planet Kronos, temporary hideout for the relentless terrorist, John Harrison. On his journey to retrieve and arrest Harrison, the U.S.S. Enterprise runs into many complications, but will they be able to overcome them all? What kind of threat does John Harrison pose to the Enterprise and the rest of humanity? Kirk/OC
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Star Trek: 2009, Star Trek: Into Darkness, or any characters associated with the Star Trek franchise. I own only my OC, Alice Conrad.

"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before." -Star Trek: Next Generation  
~~~~~

My name is Alice Conrad, chief engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. I exist to serve my luminary and no other. Kirk is my longstanding leader, commander, friend, and ally. While sometimes irrationally asinine, Kirk is a fearless and dependable individual. I owe him my life and loyalty.

Command crew was active and diligent, shouting revised information across to each other, as usual. The crew generally kept to their work persistently, resulting in flawless expeditions and campaigns. Captain James Tiberius Kirk was stationed in the centermost point of his surrounding company, tapping a pen against his lip, stating questions regarding his ship's well being, and the whereabouts of Commander Spock.

Pavel Chekov, the engineering officer, hung suspended from one of the bridges in the Upper Sensor Dome, sparks flying from his gloved hands. His eyes flinched at every flicker of his tool, despite the fact he wore a pair of goggles over his eyes. A small uniform team of engineering staff personnel worked at his command, improving the ship piece by piece. Today, our orders were to restore unresponsive sensors in the Upper Sensor Dome, located directly above the Main Bridge. Carrying my clipboard, I looked over the railing at Chekov, inquiring about his progress. His tongue protruded from his mouth and beads of sweat began forming on his forehead.

"Alright down there, Chekov? How's it coming along?" I asked.

"I'm good, Conrad. Shouldn't be too long. Let me just install this final sensor and we can depart, okay?" Pavel's Russian accent was thick, as it normally was.

I backed away from the handrails, observing the other team members' efforts and jotting down reports on the advancement of the repairs. My communicator went off and I unattached it from my toolbelt. Kirk's voice bled through the device.

"Conrad, how is progress? Can you give me an update?"

"Officer Chekov is positioning the final-" My voice was interrupted as I stopped Chekov's attachment from sliding off of the bridge. One of the redshirts who was in charge of keeping an eye on Chekov's anchor had erroneously let the foothold go in an attempt to check his watch. He met my glare with shock in his eyes.

"Conrad?"

"Sorry Sir. Chekov is finishing the last sensor as we speak. We will be on the Main Bridge within the next few minutes." I replied, my gaze still locked onto the man in the red uniform.

I fastened the communicator back to my workbelt and assisted in hoisting Officer Pavel back onto stable ground. He sighed in relief and wiped his brow with his forearm. I handed Pavel a handkerchief which he then took and smeared some of the oil on his face with. Chekov made a childish face and proceeded to exit the room. I followed behind him, clutching the clipboard at my side.

"Faulty engineering crew. You could have had a tragic fall back there, Officer." I stated, entering the elevator to my immediate right.

"But I didn't, so I'm okay. It's probably a good idea to disregard this when we speak to Kirk, no? Wouldn't want anyone being thrown off the ship." Chekov joked.

The fascination trapped in his eyes wandered as he searched for the button labeled Main Bridge. He spotted it and pressed it. There was a look of pleasure on his face as it lit up and the elevator descended.

Captain Kirk was in his usual seat on the bridge, contemplating his thoughts. His eyes caught us as we approached him. In unison, Chekov and I saluted our captain.

"Greetings Captain," I released my salute and adjusted my posture. "Upper sensors have been replaced accordingly. I have the report here." The clipboard slid from my hand into his. Kirk's eyes raced about the paper, flipping through the pages and nodding.

"So, I take it that everything is in place for takeoff tomorrow?" Kirk questioned, his eyes still scouring the pages of my report.

"Sir, we will run a procedure check before departure, but besides that, everything is in order. All systems are working fine." Chekov added. He and I looked at each other with a swift smile, then back to Kirk.

"Alright then, excellent job, Wiz Kid. You're dismissed." Kirk smirked and nodded to Pavel, dismissing him. I began to follow after him but was stopped before rounding the corner into the hallway ahead of me.

"Conrad, come here." A sense of nervousness paralyzed me, but I followed orders and turned back to Kirk.

"Sir, is there something I missed?" I managed.

Kirk looked at my face and furrowed his brow. He licked his thumb and continued to swab a smear of black grease from my cheek.

"Was that necessary?" I laughed lightheartedly.

Kirk and I shared a smile and I saluted him once more before taking my leave after Officer Pavel.  
~~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **This is the second of many installments on my Star Trek: Expedition into Darkness FanFiction. Again, I do not own Star Trek, Star Trek: Into Darkness, or any characters associated with the Star Trek franchise. I own only my OC. Also, please feel free to leave me feedback, as this is my first FanFiction ever3

Chekov turned around, his eyes scanning the hall behind him in search of the source of my running footsteps. I caught up to him, sliding the goggles from my dark, short hair onto my neck. My pace slowed to a walk as I reached him and we ventured down the hallway, back to the elevators that lined the end of the hall. Together, we stepped into the lift and set our destinations; Officer Chekov to the Main Sensor Aray, and myself to the Officer's Lounge. I bid Chekov farewell as he departed on Deck H.

There was one final stop before I reached my terminal. Nyota Uhura had joined my lift, but refused eye contact with me. I sensed she was upset, probably with Commander Spock, and did not speak to her. My final destination had arrived uninterrupted. As I exited the elevator, I heard Uhura stifle a snivel, but before I could turn back and converse her, the doors to the lift had shut. I shook off the curiosity that followed and proceeded to the lounge area.

The Officer's Lounge was adorned with white levitating pots containing various plants collected from the Enterprise's travels. They served as decoration and scientific study. Scattered around the room were sets of tables and chairs which had a blueish glow emitting from beneath their surfaces.  
Overall, the domed ceiling and large lucite glass window to the outside void of space, the lounge has a very open and spacious feel to it.

I sat at the table to the far right, closest to the mirror and observed the members of the Enterprise relish in the company of friends and fellow shipmates. From my toolbelt, I took my copy of _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy _and flipped to my current page. I wasn't normally fond of sitting alone and positioning myself as an outcast, but I wasn't particularly fond of social interaction with people who were merely my acquaintances. On a good day, I could count my closest friends on one hand and be overjoyed to have that many. My job on the U.S.S. Enterprise was strictly professional, and I hoped to keep it that way. Silence filled the lounge as the door at the front of the room opened. Captain James T. Kirk himself had stepped through and greeted his crew in a halfhearted manner. Kirk's eyes darted across the room in search of a place to leisure. I hadn't realised he was making his way towards me until his shadow had passed over one of the pages in my book. Kirk took the seat across from me and I shut my book, giving him my full and undivided attention.

"Greetings, Captain. I wa-" I started.

"You don't have to be so formal with me, Conrad. How're you?" Kirk asked, scratching his chin.

"I'm doing well, Captain," I said, clearing my throat and sitting upright. A faint smile crept onto my face as I locked eyes with Kirk. "Very much ready to bag this Harrison guy and send him where he belongs."

"Ready to go home, I see." Kirk concluded.

"Actually, sir, this is my home. I don't see any place else fit for me." My confession wasn't meant to be leaked, but took form on it's own. Kirk looked surprised.

"I can relate to you, miss Conrad. My mentor..." His voice trailed off into a momentary silence.

"Admiral Pike. I know, Captain. I'm sorry for your loss. Pike was a good man," I tried to offer comfort to my crestfallen captain. My hand reached across the table and rested upon his.

"He was the one who made you the man you are today. You are a great leader, and you are destined for victory. The hunt for John Harrison will succeed under your command, Captain. I will accompany you to Kronos and assist you in finding Harrison, that is, if you will allow it." My eyes trailed from his hand to his eyes and I smiled. "I want to find this bastard as much as you do, Kirk."

Apparently my words had reached him on an emotional level, as he took my hand in his and looked me in the eye, smiling.

"Thank you, Alice. I truly appreciate your support on the matter. You're sweet." Kirk complimented. "I will consider your request to join the invasion of Kronos, but I'll warn you ahead of time, no one can predict Harrison's actions. It will be incredibly dangerous. And fun. Bear in mind, Kronos is a Klingon planet. Although it is said to be uninhabited, we're never sure about the Klingons."

"I stand by my decision to be a part of your operations team. I will be in my cabin when you have made your accord, which I know you will not have a hard time finding." I withdrew my hand from Kirk's and stood from my seat. I nodded to him and gave one last smile before turning and exiting the lounge. Out of my peripheral vision, I caught one last glimpse of Kirk, who was biting his bottom lip, his gaze escorting me out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

As my day was winding down, I retreated to my cabin, well over exhausted. Within the next nine hours, Kirk would embark on a stealthy mission to retrieve John Harrison and finally have his answers. I was still awaiting Kirk's final verdict on the matter, but I had some downtime to rest and be patient. After my long and extensive shower, I changed into a pair of shorts and a white tank top, which bore the Starfleet insignia at the utmost right. Kirk's lack of speedy decision-making skills gave me time to ponder on the subject of John Harrison, maybe even pick up a good book on Vulcan history. Hours flew by, footsteps came and went across the hallway, books were put down and picked up again, until finally, my communicator went off. My heart dropped into my stomach as I walked from my bed to fetch the device.

"H-hello?" I stuttered, a sheer sign of my nervousness.

"Conrad? Are you busy, or-" My excited voice overpowered his.

"Not at all, Captain. How may I assist you, sir?" I spoke rapidly. There was a long delay between our communication.

"Would you, uh... Meet me in my quarters? I would like to speak with you privately. Face-to-face."

Elation welled up inside me as I pulled the communicator from my face and laid back down in my bed, my eyes darting across the ceiling.

"I understand, sir. I will be right up." Our conversation had ended as suddenly as it began. Quickly pushing my military boots onto my feet, I hooked my holster onto my thigh and pulled my engineering goggles to my head. As I rushed for the door, I assessed myself in the mirror and nodded. It was my goal to look as though I had been hard at work and not have sat idle in my cabin. I grasped my communicator firmly in my hand and darted out of the room, kicking the door shut behind me.

I made a mad dash for the elevators at the far end of the hallway, dodging any social encounters with my colleagues and avoiding any collisions with the rushing workers. My feet stopped directly before the lift panel and I pressed the button to ascend. Anxiously, I tapped my foot on the ground and folded my arms on my chest. When the lift door opened, I ducked inside it and my fingers searched for the "Cabin Deck 2" label. Having been on these elevators for so many times before, I predicted the halt of the lift and immediately made one last run to Kirk's cabin door. Before my hand had a chance to knock, Kirk had opened the door, with a groggy expression painted on his face. He wiped his eyes and shook his head a couple of times at the ground. He traced his gaze from my feet to my eyes and gave me a very sleepy-like greeting. His elbow propped him against the frame of the door, the brightness of the pure white hallway lighting resulted in squinting and heavy blinking. The glow of the hall poured into the room, shedding light onto the darkness behind him.

"Greetings, Captain. You called?" I asked in a somewhat formal manner.

"Yeah, I did, Conrad. I didn't expect you to arrive this quickly. Come in, would you?" Kirk turned and headed back into the dark recesses of his room. I looked down both ends of the hallway and entered after him.

"Captain? Is there something you need?" I questioned, already knowing his answer. I smirked at the thought.

"Ah, cut the courtesy crap, Alice. You don't need to be so formal with me, haven't I already said that?" Kirk sneered, his tired eyes blinking slowly.

"Sorry, Capt-," I began. "James. I didn't... Sorry." My mouth hung open slightly as I looked up at my captain.

"So, about your inquiry to assist me and my team in escorting John Harrison, a terrorist who has relentlessly killed countless people, from a planet that is highly likely to be home to Klingons, or worse, I've decided against my initial thought and have undeniably concluded that I do in fact need tech support, and to have such a lovely addition to my team... Ah... If at any time between now and our departure you would like to back out, which I highly advise, please do not neglect to inform me, Alice. I'd much rather you stay here with Pavel and the engineering team and be safe, further from harm than you would be with me, but," Kirk took a pause from his lecture. "I can also say that it would be an honour to journey with you at my side, Alice. The choice is in your hands now."

A dumbfounded look washed over my face and I stared off to the unorganised pile of various items laying near Kirk's bed. His eyes followed mine then returned to my face. I locked eyes with him as he smiled and raised his eyebrows in his usual way, throwing my concentration off track.

"I stand by my decision to join you, Kirk. I... I would take immense pleasure in such a mission. Harrison is a bitch anyway." My attention realigned with Kirk's.

"Welcome to team Kick Ass, Alice Conrad." James' hand met with mine and shook gently.

"Thank you sir," I bowed my head and smirked. "I will do my best to serve you." My other hand saluted to him.

Kirk was about to say something, but I intercepted his attempt to speak with a request. "Now, would it kill you to please put on a shirt?"  
His expression changed almost immediately to a witty smile. I shook my head at the humorous look on his face.


End file.
